Louis Thorold: Coroner concerned about elderly driving licences after baby killed in crash

A coroner has concerns over older drivers being able to self-declare to renew their licences after a baby was killed in a crash caused by a pensioner with undiagnosed dementia.

Louis Thorold, who was five months old, was in a pram being pushed by his mother when Shelagh Robertson, 73 at the time, turned into the path of a van, forcing it on to the pavement where it hit them.

The van driver, who was driving within the 50mph limit, had no time to react in the crash on the A10 at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, on 22 January 2021, an inquest in Huntingdon was told.

Robertson was prosecuted for causing death by careless driving but found not guilty by reason of insanity at a trial at Cambridge Crown Court last year.

Jurors were told the pensioner was suffering from dementia, which was undiagnosed at the time.

The inquest was told the self-declaration licence renewal system had a "flaw".

Motorists aged 70 or over are required by law to renew their driving licence every three years, with Robertson renewing hers in May 2017 as she approached her 70th birthday, an inquest was told on Wednesday.

This was done by an online application in which she said she was medically fit to drive.

Because of the Covid pandemic, Robertson’s three-year licence was extended by a year, giving it an expiration date of June 2021 – after the crash.

Sergeant Mark Dollard, of Cambridgeshire Police, told the inquest: “The process for renewing your licence is entirely reliant on honesty and awareness.

“If you don’t have either of them, there’s a flaw that can be exploited.”

Simon Milburn, Cambridgeshire area coroner, said: “The obvious way around that is for someone to design a process where there’s a formal examination at an appointed time.”

Mr Dollard said the current system requires drivers to answer 21 medical questions, with yes or no answers, to renew their licence at age 70.

He said if Robertson had been “checked by a doctor and the doctor had identified there was the onset of dementia, then [she] may well have not had [her] licence renewed and we wouldn’t have had an incident like we had in 2021”.

The coroner said he will write to the Department for Transport with his concerns.

Louis’ father Chris Thorold said there is a “gaping hole in the system – that you can self-certify”.

“Quite a lot of European countries have these rules in place that require medical examinations,” he said.

In a statement read to the inquest, Rachael Thorold, Louis’s mother, said: “Our cognitive health and reaction time changes with time and this needs to be objectively checked.

“Mrs Robertson hadn’t picked up her significant cognitive decline.”

Louis was killed instantly in the collision, with Mrs Thorold left with serious injuries, spending 10 days in a coma.

Mr Milburn concluded Louis died as the result of a road traffic collision, having sustained multiple traumatic injuries.

He said he will also write to Cambridgeshire County Council to ask if the speed limit at the crash site, which has already been lowered from 50mph to 40mph, could be further lowered to 30mph and if safety barriers can be installed.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know